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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488627">Great Litterbox In The Sky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/XachMustel/pseuds/XachMustel'>XachMustel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Top Cat (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Allen Jenkins, Angst, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Maurice Gosfield, Tributes, arnold stang, in memoriam, john stephenson, marvin kaplan, rest in peace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:21:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/XachMustel/pseuds/XachMustel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>My own tribute to Maurice Gosfield, Allen Jenkins, Arnold Stang, John Stephenson and Marvin Kaplan. Everyone in the gang has passed away with the exceptions of Spook and Brain. How will they deal with such a great loss?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Great Litterbox In The Sky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A cold, chilly wind rushed through Hoagy Alley as Spook and Brain stood together at the memorial on a crisp autumn day. Before them sat a bunch of flowers and a group picture of Top Cat and his gang. Also decorating the memorial was Benny The Ball's jacket, Officer Dibble's hat, Top Cat's hat, Fancy'Fancy's scarf and Choo Choo's white turtleneck sweater. Their family had since dwindled down to two and Spook found himself thrust into a leadership role, doing anything he could to try and protect Brain. </p><p>It all started with the death of Benny The Ball who had tragically passed away from a heart attack after being diagnosed with diabetes. Spook remembered how Choo Choo openly cried in Top Cat's arms as Benny was laid to rest. He also remembered the manly tears running down his and Fancy-Fancy's faces as the casket was lowered and even Officer Dibble offered his condolences. Top Cat himself remained stone-faced in spite of the loss of his buddy yet the others speculated that he cried in secret.</p><p>Officer Dibble was the next one to die, getting killed in a shootout with a couple of bank robbers. This is when Top Cat broke down, hot tears streaming down his face as he openly wept in front of the remaining members of his gang. The sight of Top Cat breaking down like that gave Spook the chills as Choo Choo, Fancy Fancy and himself also mourned. </p><p>Next one to bite the dust was Top Cat himself and this is what absolutely destroyed Choo Choo. The sensitive pink cat just couldn't stop crying after their boss' cancer diagnoses and sobbed so hard at one point that the blood vessels in one of his eyes burst and he was actually crying tears of blood from one eye. He actually had to go and get his eye removed because of the damage and from that day forth, Choo Choo sported an eye patch over his empty left eye socket. Spook's concern worsened and so did Brain's confusion. Where were all his friends going? He wondered, bewildered and a bit saddend. With the ringleader gone, the rest of the gang fell into a state of despair and they had to rely on odd jobs instead of TC's zany schemes to get by. </p><p>Then Fancy-Fancy died from an STD he contracted from some she-cat. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back for Choo Choo. A darkness awakened in the once sweet and tender-hearted pink siamese and he turned to alcohol to cope with his issues. He became cold, bitter, vicious and sarcastic and started lashing out at Spook, even reducing Brain to tears with a furious rant and nearly striking him over the head with a glass beer bottle. </p><p>Choo Choo was so broken at this point that he even attempted suicide just so he could see Top Cat and Benny once again. He downed a bottle of pills with some vodka yet somehow survived. With tears of remorse rolling down his nose from his one good eye, Choo Choo broke down and begged Spook to forgive him for the awful things he did and said. Spook just hugged him and let him cry himself to sleep. But in a twist of cruel irony, Chooch never woke up from that sleep. He mysteriously passed away in the beatnik's arms, Spook chalking it up to death of a broken heart.</p><p>The beatnik and dimwit gazed upon the memorial when a choked sob broke the silence. </p><p>Spook felt tears run down his muzzle and drip off his whiskers onto the fallen leaves below as he sobbed quietly to himself. Brain looked up at him with a look of concern in his eye, "Ummmm.....why is water comin' out of your eyes, Spook?"</p><p>Before Spook could reply, Brain reached up and wiped the cool cat's tears from his muzzle before sucking them off his fingers, "And why is the water so salty?"</p><p>Sniffling, Spook dragged a paw across his eyes, "Just......mourning the loss of old friends, ya dig?"</p><p>"Oh.....have you ever nighted the loss of old friends, too?" Brain asked stupidly, causing the beatnik to hold back a snicker.</p><p>"Not really, Brain. But I guess there's a first time for everything." Spook replied, brightening up a little bit.</p><p>"Spook?"</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"Will......will they ever come back and wake up? Maybe.....if you banged on the trash can really REALLY hard, they'll wake up." Brain suggested.</p><p>Spook suddenly choked back a sob at Brain's innocence. He didn't have the mental capacity to fully understand the concept of death, a fact that tore Spook's heart out of his chest, "Sorry to break it, daddy-o......but, they're taking a dirt nap.........like forever, man......."</p><p>"Oh.....okay then. Can we hose them off when they wake up?" Brain asked dumbly, tilting his head.</p><p>"Brain....." Spook closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh, "You do know that.......sometimes people go to sleep and they never wake up.......right?"</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"They're gone.......and they're never coming back......." Another tear trickled down Spook's muzzle as he looked away.</p><p>"Y.....you're lying!" Brain whimpered, "They're gonna come back, I just know it! Benny and TC and Choo Choo and everyone!" </p><p>Spook placed a paw on Brain's shoulder, "Look, I know the truth like hurts but that's the way things are. Ya dig?"</p><p>Tears started welling up in Brain's eyes and he started sniffling, "Now why are my eyes filled with salty water?"</p><p>"It's cause you're hurting......just like me." Spook replied calmly, pulling Brain into a hug, "We're both in Downsville together. I know times are tough and I know you're scared but if you and me stick together, we can ride this whack storm out, okay?"</p><p>"Okay....." Brain sniffed, rubbing at his eyes a little, "Will you be there to protect me?"</p><p>"Sure thing, daddy-o. I'll never leave your side." Spook smiled warmly down at the shorter cat. </p><p>"Spook?"</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"Will we ever see them again?" Brain whimpered as he clung to the olive-furred beatnik.</p><p>"Maybe one day, Brain. In that great, big litterbox in the sky......." Spook replied as he cuddled Brain in an attempt to comfort him.</p><p>The end.</p>
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